DMTs and Covid-19 severity in MS: a pooled analysis from Italy and France

We evaluated the effect of DMTs on Covid-19 severity in patients with MS, with a pooled-analysis of two large cohorts from Italy and France. The association of baseline characteristics and DMTs with Covid-19 severity was assessed by multivariate ordinal-logistic models and pooled by a fixed-effect meta-analysis. 1066 patients with MS from Italy and 721 from France were included. In the multivariate model, anti-CD20 therapies were significantly associated (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.39–3.02, p < 0.001) with Covid-19 severity, whereas interferon indicated a decreased risk (OR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.18–0.99, p = 0.047). This pooled-analysis confirms an increased risk of severe Covid-19 in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and supports the protective role of interferon

Clinical follow-up of 411 patients with relapsing and progressive multiple sclerosis 10 years after discontinuing mitoxantrone treatment: a real-life cohort study

International audienc

Isolated tumefactive demyelinating lesions: diagnosis and long-term evolution of 16 patients in a multicentric study

International audienc

Double-Blind Controlled Randomized Trial of Cyclophosphamide versus Methylprednisolone in Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

<div><p>Background</p><p>Therapeutic options are limited in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). Open-label studies suggested efficacy of monthly IV cyclophosphamide (CPM) without induction for delaying progression but no randomized trial was conducted so far.</p><p>Objective</p><p>To compare CPM to methylprednisolone (MP) in SPMS.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Randomized, double-blind clinical trial on two parallel groups. Patient with SPMS, with a documented worsening of the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score during the last year and an EDSS score between 4·0 and 6·5 were recruited and received one intravenous infusion of treatment (CPM: 750 mg /m² body surface area—MP: 1g) every four weeks for one year, and every eight weeks for the second year. The primary endpoint was the time to EDSS deterioration, when confirmed sixteen weeks later, analyzed using a Cox model.</p><p>Results</p><p>Due to recruitment difficulties, the study was terminated prematurely after 138 patients were included (CPM, n = 72; MP, n = 66). In the CPM group, 33 patients stopped treatment prematurely, mainly due to tolerability, compared with 22 in the MP group. Primary endpoint: the hazard ratio for EDSS deterioration in the CPM in comparison with the MP group was 0.61 [95% CI: 0·31–1·22](p = 0·16). According to the secondary multistate model analysis, patients in the CPM group were 2.2 times more likely ([1·14–4.29]; p = 0.02) to discontinue treatment than those in the MP group and 2.7 times less likely (HR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.17–0.84; p = 0.02) to experience disability progression when they did not stop treatment prematurely. Safety profile was as expected.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Although the primary end-point was negative, secondary analysis suggested that CPM decreases the risk of progression in SPMS, but its use may be limited by low tolerability.</p><p>Trial Registration</p><p>Clinicaltrials.gov <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00241254" target="_blank">NCT00241254</a></p></div

Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Using a Mobile Device Application by Persons with Multiple Sclerosis: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

International audienceIntroduction: Patient reporting adds value to pharmacovigilance. Encouraging it to be done through a mobile device application (App) is a method that should be evaluated.Objective: This study aimed to determine whether the use of an App, compared to traditional use through e-mail, telephone, or the national website, increased suspected adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting by persons with multiple sclerosis receiving a first-line disease-modifying drug.Methods: An open multi-centric, cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted (VigipSEP study). Clusters were centers allocated (1:1) to the use of the My eReport France® App (experimental arm), and traditional reporting (control arm). Persons with multiple sclerosis initiating or switching to a first-line disease-modifying drug between April 2017 and April 2019 were included. The primary outcome was the mean number of ADR reports per patient for the center-level analysis, and the number of ADR reports per patient for the individual-level analysis using the hierarchical Poisson regression model.Results: Twenty-four centers (12 per arm: six public neurologists from the multiple sclerosis academic expert centers, three public neurologists from general hospitals, and three private practice neurologists) were randomized, including 159 patients. The mean number of ADR reports per patient was significantly higher in centers that used the App: 0.47 vs 0.03 in control centers (p = 0.002). At an individual-level analysis, the experimental arm was significantly associated with a relative risk of ADR reports at 18.6 (95% confidence interval 4.1-84.2; p < 0.001), compared to the control arm, adjusted for sex and type of disease-modifying drug.Conclusions: The use of a mobile App increased the ADR reporting by persons with multiple sclerosis receiving a first-line disease-modifying drug. CLINICALTRIALS

Adverse events, PROMESS trial, France.

<p>Adverse events, PROMESS trial, France.</p

Serious adverse events.

<p>Serious adverse events.</p